20/11/2022 | Writer: Selma Koçak
According to the report prepared by UniKuir, LGBTI+ rights were brought into the Parliament only by the members of HDP and TIP in October.
UniKuir Association started monitoring legislative and auditing activities at Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in the context of LGBTI+ rights.
Taking up the question “Where do LGBTI+s take place on the agenda of the Parliament?”, the association published the October report. According to the findings of the report, LGBTI+s were put on the agenda three times in only two of 13 general assemblies. LGBTI+s were targeted once in the General Assembly as “insidious activities attacking the family institution”.
While LGBTI+s were mentioned in only three of 144 press conference; LGBTI+s were not discussed with a rights-based approach in none of the 17 group meetings conducted by 5 political parties in the Assembly. Once, a constitutional amendment proposal was brought into question against LGBTI+s with the claim that the family consists of a woman and a man.
LGBTI+s were not included in 80 law proposals, 137 parliamentary research motions, and 1394 written parliamentary questions, at all.
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Mersin MP Rıdvan Turan, HDP İstanbul MP Oya Ersoy, HDP İstanbul MP Züleyha Gülüm, Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) İstanbul MP Sera Kadıgil were the parliamentary members bringing the LGBTI+ agenda to the assembly.
“Whereas there were issues closely related to lubunyas / queers in the parliament”
The association evaluated the findings of the report as follows:
“Whereas there were issues closely related to lubunyas / queers in the parliament; just like censorship law, bursary / education credit and basic needs of university students, poverty, violation of rights by security forces and impunity, constitutional amendment discussions, appointment of trustee rectors, issues of the prisoners, ever increasing act of violence, oppressive policies and bans… In addition, anti-LGBTI+ constitutional amendment, hate rallies spreading among the other provinces after İstanbul, the torture and harassment experienced in Yeldeğirmeni, transphobic smart ticket application of local administrations were on the agenda of lubunyas / queers in October.”
Tags: human rights
